In the canon of Florida Death Metal, OBITUARY is one of the names written large. There's still an intensity to the band all these years later, as the live tracks amply show. The band recorded two new studio tracks, namely "Loathe" and "Ten Thousand Ways to Die", while the rest were recorded in different cities during the band's 2015 "Inked in Blood" tour.

"Loathe" opens the album in a slow, doom metal-like fashion, with John Tardy releasing his distinctive howling vocals amidst crunchy riffs and various tempo changes. Unfortunately, the track tends to meander a bit, and so misses out on the explosive factor which OBITUARY is known for. "Ten Thousand Ways to Die", the other studio cut, most definitely has the fire power, with Donald Tardy giving a barrage of beats. Trevor Peres brings a storm of riffs, while Kenny Andrews gives listeners some stylish guitar leads. My only (minor) complaint with the latter track is that the mix seemed rather loud through ear phones; I reckon the dynamic range isn't very high here.

The guys then show off their live prowess with a great version of "Red Neck Stomp", the first live number, and then with a scorching rendition of "Centuries of Lies". The latter is a cut off of 2014's "Inked in Blood" album, and shows that this is a band who is still going strong. "Visions in My Head" has a fast, thrash metal feel, and some spine-tingling screams from J. Tardy. "Chopped in Half/Turned Inside Out" is another thrashy number, which flashes back to the death and thrash halcyon days of the mid-80s/early 90s. Finally, the album closes on a slow but powerful note with "Slowly We Rot", off the band's debut album of the same name.
Andrews throws out dazzling leads throughout, with a solid backing from the fantastic rhythm section of D. Tardy and bassist Terry Butler. "Bloodsoaked" and "Find the Arise" are just two examples of Andrews' great lead work. The doomy moments on the album - such as on "Find the Arise" and "Don't Care" - are a great showcase for the rhythm duo.

OBITUARY is a band who I remember listening to in my early days of getting into metal. Unfortunately, they fell by the wayside as I discovered band after band. This album is a welcome return to my being an OBITUARY listener, and I'm glad to find the guys still in fighting form.